If we were still on the original box office schedule that Sony had laid out for itself in 2017, we'd still be waiting for the August 4 date that Baby Driver would have originally debuted on. But when you have an Edgar Wright film that takes SXSW by storm, and a populace that's begging for their chance to test drive this sweet new ride, you'd be a fool not to push up the film's release date. Well, Sony's bullish move has paid off, as the film has brought in a cool $5.7 million on its opening day alone.
Now that might not sound impressive on the surface, but considering Baby Driver is the first movie to knock Transformers: The Last Knight off of the daily top spot since its opening last Wednesday, that's a pretty big feat. On top of that, it's also the highest grossing first day for an Edgar Wright movie, a title that previously belonged to the $4.5 million first day Scott Pilgrim vs. The World enjoyed. Though the total gross for the film at the beginning of today would be in the neighborhood of $7.8 million, as it brought in a solid $2.1 million with Tuesday night's early screenings.
Naturally, there's a financial endgame in sight. The number for Baby Driver to break even, taking into account tax cuts and other budget coverage, is a $34 million production budget. With the film looking to bring in $15 - $20 million this weekend, if estimates are to be believed, Baby Driver could be mostly in the black. As per usual, this depends on how much was spent on promotional expenses, but given that Edgar Wright films tend to bring in some solid profit, that expense will have been more than justified.
Of course, the competition that's taking the field in early screenings tonight is pretty formidable. With Despicable Me 3 cornering the children's market and The House hoping to stir up some adult comedy buzz of its own, Variety's report on Baby Driver's success may be a bit premature. Then again, there is always a chance that the Will Ferrell/Amy Poehler team-up could fall short of the tremendous speed that Baby's picked up in his first couple of days on the track. One thing's for certain: it's going to be an interesting weekend at the box office. While the deck does seem stacked in the favor of Despicable Me 3, this has been the year of major franchises under-performing, allowing newcomers to take some laps of glory.
Baby Driver is in theaters now, fueled and ready to tear up the road for eager audiences.
